Frog mug

These practical joke mugs containing frogs or toads date from circa 1775 and continued to be popular until the end of the 19th century. An unsuspecting drinker would be surprised as he quaffed his beer to see a frog or toad emerging from the typically cloudy beverage of those days as it was fully consumed and the amphibian came into view, with predictable results. In some cases the creature would gurgle and spit at the drinker through a hole in its mouth as the vessel was tilted and the dregs consumed. Some larger examples had two[http://www.theantiqueseller.co.uk/display_items.php?id=as151a087&n=ceramics&ln= The Antique Seller] or three handles and might contain several frogs/toads.[http://thetonofstuff.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/quiet-word-from-list-mistress-surprise.html A Ton of Stuff] Naval references are common on these mugs due to their common use in taverns frequented by sailors.[http://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/2-pcs.-antique-19th-century-creamware-mugs-with-h-6088-c-84143de94e Invaluable Auctions]

File:Set of frog mugs.jpg]]

Transfer-printed designs are often found on these mugs with patriotic sentiments, mottoes, proverbs, sayings, educational verses, pictorial images, etc. and some are inscribed with the names of individuals, suggesting that were sometimes given as a gift to mark a special occasion.Monson-Fitzjohn, Page 45 A number were produced to commemorate the Crimean war success or Napoleon Bonaparte's defeat.Monson-Fitzjohn, Page 45[http://thetonofstuff.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/quiet-word-from-list-mistress-surprise.html A Ton of Stuff] Some mugs have raised designs featuring a wide range of subjects.[http://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/2-pcs.-antique-19th-century-creamware-mugs-with-h-6088-c-84143de94e Invaluable Auctions]

Naval references are common on these mugs due to their common use in taverns frequented by sailors. This has led to the suggestions that in some instances anti-French sentiments were responsible for during the Trafalgar period sailors frequently referred to the French as 'Monsieur Johnny Crapaud' where 'Crapaud' in French means a toad.[http://mrswoffington.blogspot.co.uk/2009/09/thoughts-on-le-frog-mug.html Thoughts on Le Frog Mug]

The verses below amply illustrate these attitudes:-

The mugs were sometimes smashed by the surprised victim of the prank and as a precaution an inscription on the mug warned against this:-

These mugs were a sort of rustic joke that added to the atmosphere and jollity in taverns, etc. In modern times they serve as simple amusement or conversation pieces.[http://www.benningtonpotters.com/product/frog-mug/gift-ideas Bennington Potters]

Ague is an illness involving fever and shivering. It was an old tradition that a sudden shock, such as the surprise of seeing a frog or toad in your beer would deliver a cure.{{Cite web |url=http://www2.epl.ca/InfoFile/EPLInfofileDetail.cfm?subject_detail=Mugs%2C%20Frog%2FToad%2FSurprise |title=Country Life, September 1983. |access-date=2016-02-06 |archive-date=2016-02-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216124057/http://www2.epl.ca/InfoFile/EPLInfofileDetail.cfm?subject_detail=Mugs%2C%20Frog%2FToad%2FSurprise |url-status=dead }}

Some of these mugs were made with the intention of encouraging young children to finish their drink by exposing the frog or toad.[http://andrewbaseman.com/blog/?tag=lustre&paged=2 Past Imperfect]

They were first made in Sunderland around 1775 before being copied in such places as Staffordshire, WorcestershireMonson-Fitzjohn, Page 44 and Newcastle.{{Cite web |url=http://www2.epl.ca/InfoFile/EPLInfofileDetail.cfm?subject_detail=Mugs%2C%20Frog%2FToad%2FSurprise |title=Country Life, September 1983. |access-date=2016-02-06 |archive-date=2016-02-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216124057/http://www2.epl.ca/InfoFile/EPLInfofileDetail.cfm?subject_detail=Mugs%2C%20Frog%2FToad%2FSurprise |url-status=dead }} In the 1860s there were around twenty-five potteries producing these mugs on the Tees, Tyne and Wear.Monson-Fitzjohn, Page 44 They are sometimes known as Sunderland mugs because of their first place of manufacture.[https://www.pinterest.com/pin/469007748664633316/ Sunderland Lustre mug.]

;Notes

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;Sources

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• Monson-Fitzjohn, G. J. (1927). Drinking Vessels of Bygone Days. London : Herbert Jenkins Ltd.

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{{Commons category|Frog mugs}}

Category:Drinkware

Category:Beer vessels and serving

Category:Culture of England